It is November 1988. And racing historian and author Michael Tanner has made a 4,000 mile pilgrimage. To the Claiborne stud farm in Kentucky.
He is there for one reason only.
To see a racehorse. A horse long since retired from the track.
I’ll let Tanner take up the story, as he approaches the horse’s stable...
If any horse oozed charisma it was this 533 kilo chestnut colossus.
He eyed me quizzically.
My request for some of his hair for a keepsake was met with a “sure” from his handler, who produced a palmful of mane.
“You can pat him if you want,” he said. “He won’t mind.”
Could this be real? Hand went to neck. The coat beneath my fingers felt as smooth and warm as a toasted marshmallow. Then that regal head turned slowly and a damp muzzle bunted me.
Tanner had just met Secretariat. Winner of the 1973 American Triple Crown. And widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time.
Secretariat wins again
Years later, Michael would write:
Casting an eye toward the strands of Secretariat hair causes the goosebumps to resurface. For once there was a horse called Secretariat. But, as the saying goes, just the once.
Today is your opportunity to acquire Tanner’s complete and extraordinary collection of racehorse hair - and more besides.
A lifetime’s passion. Yet one that few knew existed.
THE CLASSIC RACEHORSE HAIR COLLECTION
Strands of mane and tail hair from 102 of the greatest racehorses of the 20th century.
Including Secretariat. Red Rum. Nijinsky.
2 of the greats: hair from Nijinsky and Secretariat
And just as looking at Secretariat’s hair brought Michael Tanner out in goosebumps. Each of these pieces will move you deeply too. No piece of racing memorabilia gets you closer to these extraordinary animals. That is the awesome power of this collection.
Horses you adored. Horses you backed. Horses you roared over the final fence.
Just wait until you read the full list of names in a moment.
First, let me be clear:
3-time Grand National winner Red Rum & 1959's British racehorse of the year Petite Etoile
This collection is like nothing you’ve seen before. It is a total one-off and will never be surpassed.
That’s because:
This collection is utterly impossible to recreate: none of the horses remain with us, and few collectors had the foresight of Michael Tanner to collect their hair.
You couldn’t make a modern-day equivalent: racing is today a multi-million-pound business. Security today is so tight with 24/7 guards, CCTV, and biometric entry. Public access to the racehorses is close to impossible. Could you imagine strolling into the stud farm and helping yourself to Frankel’s hair today? You wouldn’t get anywhere near.
And you’re not just getting a small piece of each horse either. You receive a serious length of hair.
Just look at the photos.
Flat racing royalty: Brigadier Gerard and Mill Reef
Here are some of the highlights:
Grand National Winners
Red Rum: Grand National 1973, 1974, 1977. Removed from Red Rum in May 1973 - just two months after his first Grand National victory
Aldaniti: 1981
Grittar: 1982
Corbiere: 1983
Hallo Dandy: 1984
Cheltenham Legends
Arkle: Cheltenham Gold Cup 1964, 1965, 1966
Badsworth Boy: Queen Mother Champion Chase 1983, 1984, 1985
Bregawn: Cheltenham Gold Cup 1983
Burrough Hill Lad: Cheltenham Gold Cup 1984
Comedy of Errors: Champion Hurdle 1973, 1975
Dawn Run: Champion Hurdle 1984, Cheltenham Gold Cup 1986
Desert Orchid: Cheltenham Gold Cup 1989
Forgive 'n Forget: Cheltenham Gold Cup 1985
Persian War: Champion Hurdle 1968, 1969, 1970
Flat racing stars
Secretariat: US Triple Crown 1973
Nijinsky: UK Triple Crown 1970
Brigadier Gerard: 2,000 Guineas 1971, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes 1972
Mill Reef: Epsom Derby 1971, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes 1971, Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe 1971
The Minstrel: Epsom Derby 1977, Irish Derby 1977, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes 1977
Northern Dancer: Kentucky Derby 1964
Alleged: Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe 1977 and 1978
Shirley Heights: Epsom Derby 1978
Slip Anchor: Epsom Derby 1985
The Minstrel: Epsom Derby 1977
Trempolino: Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe 1987
Great sires
Sadler’s Wells
Caerleon
El Gran Senor
Kris
Are you still breathing? What a list of names. And that's only a quarter of them.
The greatest sire of them all: Northern Dancer
Cast-iron provenance
The collection comes in two delightfully-created, hand-annotated albums, with details of each horse.
Michael Tanner's album
Many of the most-celebrated strands feature in Michael Tanner’s personal album. Tanner acquired them in person, or directly from the trainers or owners. He also acquired some from the celebrated collector Ray Goddard.
His collection comprises: Red Rum, Nijinsky, Secretariat, Arkle, Brigadier Gerard, Mill Reef, Aldaniti, Desert Orchid, Dawn Run, Boldboy, Teleprompter, Le Garcon D'or, Persian War, Comedy Of Errors, Gaye Brief, What A Myth, Forgive 'N' Forget, Burrough Hill Lad, The Dikler, Ten Up, Bregawn, Master Smudge, Spanish Steps, Pendil, Diamond Edge, Wayward Lad, Badsworth Boy, Tingle Creek, Freddie, Grittar, Hallo Dandy, Petite Etoile, Well To Do, Corbiere, John Henry and Forego.
View all hairs in the first album (all from the Michael Tanner collection)
About Michael Tanner
Tanner has written extensively on horseracing for 40+ years, contributing features to The Sporting Life, Racing Post and Pacemaker. He has also authored numerous books earning critical acclaim. The Suffragette Derby was declared 'Racing's book of the year' by Racing Post in 2013.
Young racing enthusiast's album
The remainder of the extraordinary collection features in a second album, which was compiled by a young racing enthusiast in the 80s and 90s. It contains approx. 65 horses, with pictures. He mainly compiled the collection through British, Irish and US stud farms.
This is the first time these two extraordinary collections have been offered together.
View all hairs in the second album (from the collection of a young racing enthusiast)
Investment potential
The gates into Ascot’s winner’s enclosure auctioned for £280,000 in 2005.
We estimate that this collection has a resale value of approx. £450,000 were you to offer single strands for sale.
And yet, today you can own it for just...
...Well, would you like to take an educated guess? What price would you place on an impossible to recreate collection? That gets you intimately close to 102 of the finest horses of all time...
£150,000? £200,000? £250,000 even?
No.
You can own this unique collection for just £45,000 ($57,000).
That is a price designed to sell incredibly fast.
This collection is worthy of the National Horseracing Museum at Newmarket. In fact, it could very well end up there. And if it does, that’s where it will stay. Which means if you want to own this unique, impossible-to-recreate collection, you need to buy it today.
We have many racing collectors on our database reading this now.
When you buy you also receive:
Complete peace of mind: Thanks to my lifetime moneyback guarantee of authenticity, 28-day returns if you don’t love it, and fully insured delivery (free of charge).
But you need to make your move now.
Buy the Classic Racehorse Hair Collection now
Email info@paulfrasercollectibles.com immediately
Or ring +44 (0)1534 639 998
Until next time,
Paul Fraser
PS. Don’t forget – there’s is no other racing collection like this anywhere. Own the only one now.
